OPERATION SIERRA STORM 2024 SPEAKERS
Additional Speakers will be added by summer 2023.
Dr. Daniel Swain
Climate Scientist with UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Dr. Daniel Swain is a climate scientist focused on the dynamics and impacts of extreme events—including droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires—on a warming planet. Daniel holds joint appointments as a research scientist within UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, a research fellow in the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and as the California Climate Fellow at The Nature Conservancy. He engages extensively with journalists and other partners, serving as a climate and weather science liaison to print, radio, television, and web media outlets to facilitate broadly accessible and accurate coverage surrounding climate change and the broader Earth system. Daniel is an alumnus of the University of California, Davis (B.S., Atmospheric Science) and of Stanford University (Ph.D., Earth System Science), and completed his postdoctoral work at UCLA. He also authors the Weather West blog (weatherwest.com), which provides real-time perspectives on California and western North American weather and climate, and can be found on Twitter (@Weather_West).
OPERATION SIERRA STORM 2024 SPEAKERS
Additional Speakers will be added by summer 2023.
Dr. Julie Kalansky
Deputy Director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Dr. Julie Kalansky is a climatologist focused on regional climate and the impacts of extremes. At CW3E she works to integrate the multidisciplinary research to improve prediction of atmospheric rivers across timescales that lead to increased water resilience. Her talk will focus on atmospheric rivers, projected changes of these storms and how CW3E is working to improve the prediction of ARs leading to a more climate resilience West Coast.
PAST 2023 SPEAKERS
Latest developments from the National Weather Service and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction
New and upgraded products and capabilities from NCEP centers to include analysis, forecast and warning products, model guidance, probabilistic and uncertainty information, and web-based display and dissemination applications.
Dr. Mike Farrar
Director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)
Dr. Mike Farrar oversees nine National Weather Service (NWS) national centers with 750+ staff and $210+ million annual budget for environmental prediction operations. Altogether these 9 NCEP centers provide the core of NWS’ mission to protect life and property for the nation: Aviation Weather Center, Climate Prediction Center, Environmental Modeling Center, National Hurricane Center, Ocean Prediction Center, Space Weather Prediction Center, Storm Prediction Center, Weather Prediction Center, and NCEP Central Operations.
In addition to his primary job, he was the 2021 President of the American Meteorological Society, the primary U.S. professional society for meteorology, and currently serves on the AMS Council and Executive Committee. He also serves as the Region 4 (North America) representative on the governing council of the International Forum of Meteorological Societies (IFMS), the consortium of the world’s meteorological professional societies that promote the science and help developing countries create and advance professional meteorology societies of their own.
Mike’s prior positions include: Chief Scientist for Weather for the U.S. Air Force; Senior VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR); Director of NWS’ Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) and the Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL); VP of Strategic Development for Science and Technology Corporation (STC); and 24 years with the US Air Force as a uniformed meteorologist where he achieved the rank of Colonel and served in several leadership positions.
Dr. Farrar holds Doctorate and Master of Science degrees in meteorology from Florida State University, where his research focused on satellite-based microwave radiometry. He is a distinguished graduate from the Eisenhower School of the National Defense University, with a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Purdue University.
From Fire to Floods: Forecasting and Messaging Extreme Weather Events at the Weather Prediction Center
Greg Carbin
Chief of Forecast Operations for NOAA’s National Weather Service
Greg Carbin has served as Chief of Forecast Operations for NOAA’s NWS Weather Prediction Center (WPC), in College Park, Maryland, since early 2016. Greg oversees 34 meteorologists with responsibilities for issuing rainfall, snowfall, and medium range weather forecasts for the nation. Greg previously served as the Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) for NOAA’s NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC), in Norman, Oklahoma, from 2007 to 2016. Greg’s tenure at SPC spanned 20 years and, in addition to WCM, he performed in a variety of operational capacities, from developing operational fire weather forecasts to winter weather mesoscale discussions, and the introduction of probabilistic outlook and watch products for severe weather.
Greg began his career with the NWS in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1993, and also worked in the private sector, in New York and Vermont, after earning a B.S. degree in Meteorology from Lyndon State College, in 1985. In addition to graduate course work at the University of Oklahoma, Greg is a 2011 graduate of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Executive Leadership Development Program, and a 2019 graduate of the Federal Executive Institute (FEI). Greg received the Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award from the National Weather Association in 2016, “For his groundbreaking work on severe weather climatology which has revolutionized the way the meteorological community visualizes and uses severe weather statistics”.
The Intersection of Severe Weather and the Built Environment: Stories of Resilience Success
Far too often we are left with a sense of despair and helplessness following catastrophic weather events. However, science and engineering are catching up in how we understand and mitigate the impact of severe weather. Join IBHS Lead Research Meteorologist and Sr. Director for Standards and Data Analytics Dr. Ian Giammanco as we explore how we become more resilient to the impact of hurricanes, severe storms and wildfires. We will also explore some success stories and bust some myths along the way.
Dr. Ian Giammanco
Sr. Director for Standards and Data Analytics and a Lead Research Meteorologist at Insurance Institute for Businesses & Home Safety (IBHS)
Dr. Giammanco holds a B.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Texas Tech University in Atmospheric Science and Wind Science and Engineering respectively. Dr. Giammanco joined IBHS in 2010 and joined the IBHS executive leadership team in 2018, leading the IBHS Product Design team. In 2022, Dr. Giammanco took on a new challenge, building the IBHS Standards and Data Analytics team.
This team is responsible for activities in building codes, testing standards, and applied data analytics research. In addition, to his executive leadership responsibilities, Dr. Giammanco is a Lead Research Meteorologist and continues to guide strategic research initiatives related to the IBHS core research perils of hail, wind, wind-driven rain, and wildfire. Dr. Giammanco has over 19 years of meteorological field research experience, participating in numerous hurricanes, severe storm, and tornado research projects. He and the IBHS team were the first group to publish results quantifying the strength of hailstones and pioneered the use of 3D laser scanning technology to create digital models of natural hailstones. Dr. Giammanco was also part of the team that developed the IBHS hail impact testing protocol and asphalt shingle hail impact ratings program. In addition to his positions at IBHS, Dr. Giammanco is an Adjunct Faculty Research Associate at the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University. He was a charter member of the American Meteorological Society’s committee on Weather and Climate Financial Risk Management, served on the National Weather Association’s Publications committee, and currently is serving on the AMS Committee on Engineering Resilient Communities and on the editorial board of the scientific journal “Frontiers”.
“Addressing Americans’ Indifference to Climate Change – Emotion, Facts and Data to Make A Difference”
The effects of climate change on polar bears is drastic indeed – and the effects on people? What are the moral stories of climate change that tug at the emotions and address what the majority of people care about?
David Fenton
Founder of Fenton: The Social Change Agency
David Fenton, named “one of the 100 most influential P.R. people” by PR Week and “the Robin Hood of public relations” by The National Journal, founded Fenton in 1982 to create communications campaigns for the environment, public health and human rights. For more than five decades he has pioneered the use of PR, social media and advertising techniques for social change. Fenton started his career as a photojournalist in the late 1960s. He was formerly director of public relations at Rolling Stone magazine and co-producer of the No-Nukes concerts in 1979 at Madison Square Garden with Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and other artists. He has also helped create JStreet, Climate Nexus, the Death Penalty Information Center, Science Moms and Families for a Future. He sold Fenton a few years ago to work on climate change full time.
Social handles:
FB: davidfentonactivist
Twitter: dfenton
IG: dfenton1
Tahoe Sustainability Panel
It’s the right thing to do to ensure and protect our environmental future and economic success. The movement has earned support among local residents, visitors authorities, ski resorts, governmental officials and businesses.
Lake Tahoe Panel
Talk with leaders of the Tahoe Lake-wide Sustainability Panel, regional experts to hear what the destination is doing and how it may serve as a national model for ski resorts.
Moderated by Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of Visit Lake Tahoe. Panelist include:
- Daniel Cressy, Forest Service
- Kirstin Guinn, North Lake Tahoe Resort Association
- Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund
- Julie Regan, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Moderator / Conference MC
Rob Mayeda
Meteorologist KNTV, NBC San Jose/Bay Area
Rob provides weekend forecasts and contributes to weekday weather coverage for NBC Bay Area. He also produces and reports on weather-related news specials including the award-winning “On Thin Ice” a report on climate change affecting Alaska’s glaciers. The American Meteorological Society recognized “On Thin Ice” with its “Excellence in Scientific Reporting” award for “highlighting the importance of climate change’s relevance to future impacts to the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Rob’s career in broadcast news began off camera as an ABC News production associate for “20/20” and “Primetime Live.” He later joined the local news assignment desk at KNBC in Burbank where he worked in news special projects also seen on CNBC.
Before calling NBC Bay Area home, Rob worked at KIRO (CBS) in Seattle and at KCRA (NBC) in Sacramento where he spent three years as a morning and weekend weather anchor. Rob was also a weather anchor and reporter in San Luis Obispo and Palm Desert.
Rob holds the American Meteorological Society‘s Television Seal of Approval #1682 earned Emmy awards in 2015, 2011, and 2002 from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, San Francisco Chapter.
He completed his Master of Science degree in Geosciences (Meteorology/Geology/Hydrology) from Mississippi State University. Rob is also a graduate of the University of Arizona where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and English.
In time away from NBC Bay Area, Rob is a guest lecturer at Cal State East Bay in Hayward for meteorology, geology and planetary science courses.
His community work includes the Lupus Foundation of Northern California as a former board member, annual emcee for the 5K Walk/Run and has travelled to Washington D.C. with the Lupus Research Institute to raise lupus awareness at congressional meetings. He was recently honored in 2015 with the LFNC’s “Top Media Ally” award at the annual Purple Ribbon Gala, and spends time assisting LupusLA at events during the year.
Rob and wife Sarah recently welcomed two fraternal twin boys Christopher Samuel and Jonathan Daniel into the family, they enjoy living in the Tri-Valley along with two Cavalier King Charles spaniels “Barkley” and “Riley”.
Social media updates available @RobMayeda on Twitter and Facebook.